Heavenly Joy #59

What's up! Great week in Enkhtaivan, Christmas was magical and full of miracles ✨️ loving and serving is the most special joy. I want to share 2 stories with yall! First, my companion and I are in a taxi and just having an absolute blast talking with the taxi driver. 30 minutes in were chatting about what our favorite type of Mongolian meat. He told me his favorite was horse. He asks "have you tried it?" I replied "Yeah, it's pretty good but my favorite is sheep's meat. Have you ever eaten sheep?" He looks in disgust and says "No! Of course not! You eat sheep's meet?! Thats disgusting!!". Wondering why he was freaking out, I explained for full 2 minutes that eating sheep's meat is normal and it's so yummy... BEFORE I realized I had ACTUALLY been saying human meat the entire time. 😭🤦‍♂️ the word for person and sheep are super close just FYI Second, this week I got sick but was determined to keep working so it was a tad miserable. But at sacrament we sang "I need thee every hour". My memory fled back to USMMA when during the first 3 days, the only hour away from getting screamed at, was church. The first hymn we sang at the academy was "I need thee every hour". Just like 2.5 years ago, I'm crying singing in church calling upon God for his sustaing power. I was reminded of how God had helped me and felt his divine love because I knew He'd help me again. It's in the times when we get broken down that we can grasp the immensity of our Saviors love. Spiritual thought: This transfer I've had the opportunity to work with a Kid with down syndrome and another with Cerebral Palsy. My fondest memories have been making these 2 laugh. Outside of laughing with your own children, I imagine it's one the most precious things on life. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matthew 25:40 When I get to love these children I feel I get a glimpse of the joy in heaven. To paraphrase George MacDonald "A cup of of water given to a child refreshes the heart of the Father" Love, Elder Bateman